Pressure-regulator



(No Model.) 2 lSheets--Sheet 1.

P. BALL 8v J. R. SMITH.

PRESSURE REGULATOR.

N0. 329,119. Patented 001i. v2'7, 1885.

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` zsheets-sheen 2. P. BALL & J.` R. SMITH,

PRESSURE REGULATOR.

N0. 329,119. l Patented Oct. 27, 1885.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEE-ICE.

PHINEHAS BALL, OF WORCESTER, AND JOHN R. SMITH, OF SPRINGFIELD, ASSIGN ORS TO THE UNION WATER METER COMPANY, OF WORCESTER,

MASSACHUSETTS.

PRESSURE-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 329,119, dated October 27, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it-known that we, PHINEHAs BALL and JOHN R. SMITH, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, and at Springfield, county of Hampden, in said State, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pressure Regulators, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to improvements in pressure-governing valves or regulators, the object being to provide improved devices in regulators of this class, whereby, as in the case of natural-gas wells, the gas which comes from the earth with great force and creates an excessive pressure in pipes used for its reception may be received from said pipes into a suitable high-pressure chamber in the valvecase, and from thence be delivered into distributing-mains for consumption under a continuously-regulated suitably-reduced pressure.

In the drawings forming part of this specication, Figures 1, 2, and 3 are respectively a side elevation, partly in section-a side view of the high-pressure section of .the valve-case,

with its side partly broken away, and showing its internal diaphragm in section, the valves and their lever-connections, and a section of 3o the pipe leading to the diaphragm-chamber,

and a plan view of said high-pressure section,

with its cap, which constitutes, mainly, the

low-pressure chamber, removed,and showing the inlet and the outlet in section, the valve- 3 5 seat partition, (partly broken away,) the valves, and portions of their lever-connec tions, all illustrating a pressure-regulator embodying our improvements. Fig. 4 is a plan of the face and a section of one of the valves.

In the drawings, 1 is the section of the case, within which is the high-pressure chamber 2, said case being cast with the valve-seat partition 3, the division-wall 4, and the valve-lever supports 5 5 integral therewith. The said division-wall 4 extends from the under side of the partition 3 to the opposite side ofthe section 1 of the case, allowing a passage around one side of it, opposite or under the letter E, L Fig. 3, whereby the gas within the chamber Application filed June 10, 1885.

lopenings therein.

'munication with the low-pressure chamber shown by dotted lines, being inserted therein.

Seria1No.168,216. (No model.)

circulates freely under the partition 3, and is free to find its exit through both of the valve- The partition 3 does not cover the chamber 6,inclosed by the divisionwall 4, that space being open and in free comformed by the cap 7, Fig. 1, which is partly shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, said cap being bolted to a iange, 8, surrounding the section 1. There is a free gas-passage from the said lowpressure chamber within the cap 7 through the space 6, and an opening in the side of sec-V tion 1 into pipe 9, which is bolted onto said chamber, as shown. The pipe 9 has an eX- tension, 11, at right angles thereto, to which is attached a diaphragm-case, 10, having a cover, 12, in which is fitted aperforated'plug, 13. The cover 12 has one or more air-holes, o, from its surface around the plug 13 into the plug-opening, which air-holes can have their inner ends more or less covered by screwing plug 13 in and out. The gas-inlet 14, Fig. 3,

to the high-pressure chamber 1 is through its side, a cup-shaped screw-threaded bushing,'o2, having side openings within the chamber, as

A cup, 15, of wire-gauze, is inserted into the bushing o2, to arrest any earthy or other solid matter that may be carried by the gas. The outlet from the regulator is at 16 from the chamber 6, which communicates with the interior of the pipe 9 and the case 10. The mains for distributing gas under low pressure for consumption are connected atsaid outlet. The partition 3 is perforated at two points to provide eduction gas-passages from the high-pressure chambers 8 5 1, which passages are provided with the valves o o', attached to suitable spindles, z, as' shown. The seats for said valves consist of rings y, of yielding or elastic material-such as rubber or similar substance-made sufficiently rigid to properly resist the pressure of a valve against it. Said rings y are suitably secured in opposite sides of said partition by the bushing 17, having a cross-bar, 18, thereon to guide the spindle' z of the valve. One of said bushings 17 is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Said valves o o act, respectively, against the inner and outer side of the partition 3, and are of uniform size and of concavo-convex form, and l shaped receptacle,

they have corrugated faces, as shown, whereby they have such a contact with their yielding seats as can only be secured by the action of a sharp edge or edges against such seats, instead of a flat surface, the former sinking more or less into the surface of the seat. If desired, the valve-seats may be corrugated, and the valves have faces of yielding material. It will be observed that the valve 'v' is located in the low-pressure chamber under the cap 7, and that the high pressure of the gas in the chamber 2 is against its interior concave surface, while the valve c is located in the high-pressure chamber 2, and that the gas-pressure existing in the latter is against the exterior convex surface of the valve; hence it is seen that, owing to the considerable difference of supercial area which is exposed to the action of the high pressure in said two valves, the gas-pressure acts unequally upon the latter, particularly when they are nearly closed and they are compensating, but not what is termed balanced.77

In adapting devices similar to those shown in the drawings for use under the excessive pressure frequently found in natural-gas wells, and employing valves similar to those herein shown, and which expose equal surfaces to the gas-pressure, or are balanced, it is found that when gas is iiowing through the regulator the valves are inclined to hammer or chatter almost incessantly, producing a disagreeable noise, and soon wearing out the valve-seats; but by arranging said valves in combina-tion with the aforesaid yielding seats, and with an air-cushion, as herein shown and described, they act steadily, no matter what may be the difference of pressure between the high and low pressure chambers, and said chattering is prevented. Fig. 4 shows a plan view of the face of one of said valves and a section thereof. Two lever-supports, 5 5, Fig. 3, are attached to the section 1 and extend therefrom in the line of the pipe 9, each side of the center thereof. A T-shaped lever, 19, is pivoted between the ends of said supports 5 5 by the pin 20, the short arms of which terminate over the valve-openings in the partition 3, and its long arm extends through the chamber 6 into and through the pipe 9 to a point opposite the center of the extension-pipe 11. The spindles z z, to which the valves c o are secured, are attached to the ends of said short arms of lever 19 by the pivoted socket-connections 21, or by other suitable means. The socket ends of said connections 21 are screwthreaded to receive the ends of the spindles z, and thereby the valves are adjusted to proper bearings on their seats. A post, F, is pivotally connected by its lower end to the lever 19, and extends from thence through the center of the guide-web 25 and the case 10, passing through the plug 13, whereby said web and plug N is guided in its movements, as hereinafter set forth. Said web 25 is perforated to allow gas to pass it freely. A dish- 22, having a bottom, 23, to which it is bolted, is attached to the post F by nuts screwing on the latter, as shown in Fig. 1, and a rolling diaphragm, 24, has one edge secured between the said parts of the receptacle, and its outer edge clamped between the cover 12 and the case 10. A coiled sustaining-spring, L, has its lower end attached to the post F, and, encircling the latter, has its upper end attached to the cover 12 or other xed part of the case. The receptacle 22 is adapted to receive any suitable counterbalancing matter-such as shot or like material-to adjust the weight acting on lever 19 to any required low or delivery pressure. rlhe tensional power of the spring L is adjusted so as to hold the end of lever 19,and consequently the valves c o', normally in a position suited to the degree (or approximately so) of low pressure required in the delivery-mains, and the latter can be increased by adding weight to said receptacle, whereby the valves are moved farther from their seats and the eduction-openings increased. The low-pressure space in the regulator includes that beneath the receptacle 22, the pipes 11 and 9, the chamber 6, and that under the cap 7. By means of the rolling diaphragm 24 the space in the case 10, above the latter, is entirely shut off from the said low-pressure space, and the receptacle 22 is free to move vertically, as may be required, to allow the delivery-pressure to regulate the flow of gas from the high-pressure chamber.

The variable perforations o through the cover 12 serve to equalize the up and down movements of the receptacle 22 by preventing an excess of either vacuum or pressure between the latter and the cover, consequent upon said movements, by permitting air to enter or escape in such quantity as may be desirable, thus forming a species of air-cushion between the diaphragm and the cover. Whatever may be the pressure in the high-pressure chamber 2, whereby the valves c o are moved from their seats, the amount of valve-lift can be so regulated by the weight or spring applied to the end of lever 19 to which the valves are attached as to cause such an amount ofA gas to iow from chamber 2 into said low-pressure chamber as will maintain in the latter and in the distribution pipes connected therewith approximately a uniform pressurej very much IOO IIO

less than that in chamber 2. The decrease of v1z0 pressure in the low-pressure chamber of the regulator belowran established or required amount, caused by an unusual consumption of gas, causes the receptacle 22 to fall, thereby moving valves c o' from their seats until the required pressure in said chamber is restored; and when, by reason of a reduced consumption of gas, the pressure in said chamber and in the distributing-mains becomes too great a contrary or upward movement of receptacle 22 moves said valves toward their seats, and restricts the gas-passages through partition 3.

The above-described construction, wherein al1 of the parts, substantially, of the regulator are securely inclosed in an air and gas tight shell or case, provides for the requisite protection of said parts when the machine is buried in the ground, and goes far to obviate the danger consequent upon the accidental admission of the gas under its normal or earth pressure into the distributing-mains.

What We claim as our invention isl. In a pressure regulator having a high anda low pressure chamber, two valves, substantially as described, one located in the high and the other in the loW pressure chamber, and both connected with one common lever, and a rolling diaphragm connected with said lever and located in the low-pressure chamber, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

2. In a pressure-regulator, the valve-seat y, of rubber or of like elastic material, having a dat face for the valve to bear upon, combined with a valve having a series of annular corrugations on its face, and having a pivotal connection With a vibratory lever, by which its motions are governed, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination, the rolling diaphragm, the post F, connected With said diaphragm and with the lever 19, and the diaphragm-case having a supporting-passage through the bottom and the cover thereof for said post, substantially as set forth.

4. In a pressure-regulator for natural gas, the inlet-bushing o2, of cup form, and having perforated sides, and the screen 15, tting said bushing, substantially as set forth.

PHINEHAS BALL. JOHN R. SMITH.

Witnesses:

HENRY A.- CHAriN, E. H. ToWNE. 

